Your Faith Journey - Finding God Through Words, Song and Praise

I am technologically challenged.  Just ask Katie, our secretary.  Or, better yet, talk to my husband.  In fact, just last Sunday, I wanted to play a video for the Confirmation class in the evening.  So, on Sunday morning, I had to ask my husband to SHOW me how to do it so I would be prepared for Sunday evening.  While technological understanding comes very naturally to some (my husband for example), I always find myself befuddled and cannot seem to make sense of what needs to be done.  I have always been one of those people who needs to learn and verify things experientially.  I am an experiential learner and I usually must seek out someone to show me what to do, how to do it and thereby, through that experience, finally understand.

         Because I am an experiential learner, I appreciate the sequence of events described in today’s gospel reading.  Today we are told of John the Baptist who has the experience of baptizing Jesus.  John has the experience of seeing the Spirit descend upon Jesus in the form of a dove, and then he is able to confidently point to Jesus as “The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”  John’s experience gave him insight and he could then assuredly proclaim who Jesus is.

         Because of John’s experience, two of his disciples decide to follow Jesus to try and learn more about this unusual man.  As they begin following, Jesus turns to them and we hear the very first words Jesus speaks in the gospel of John.  What is so fascinating is that Jesus’ first words appear in the form of a question as he asks, “What are you looking for?”  Jesus, as he frequently does, uses a question to draw these two men into relationship, into the experience of relationship with him.  It is helpful to look at the original Greek when listening to what Jesus asks.  Jesus’ question would be better translated as, “What are you seeking?” or “What do you hope to find?” or “What do you long for?”  And, what I find so captivating is this – Jesus speaks these same words to each one of us as we meet him.  Jesus asks a question that goes directly to the deep yearnings of our hearts.  Jesus’ words invite us to look into the depth of our being and ask, “What is my deepest longing, what is it I hope to find in this one called Jesus?”  As a Faith community that desires to engage the greater community, I believe there are many seekers around us who are asking the same questions.  There are many in our greater community who are longing for something more, something deeper in life.  As we work to connect to those beyond these walls, I have to ask each one of you, what is the hallmark of this Faith community that we can lift up so others may see who we are, see whose we are, and what we offer in this place?

         It is interesting that the disciples reply to Jesus’ question by asking where he is staying.  Again, it is important to look at the original Greek as we try to make sense of this experience.  The disciples’ question to Jesus goes much deeper than simply asking about a geographical, physical location.  The Greek word used implies they are really asking about where he is dwelling, where he is abiding (a word we find used over and over again in the gospel of John).  The disciples are asking Jesus where he is remaining, abiding and indwelling.  This question takes us to a deeper place.  They want to know where they can come and simply experience being with him.

         We live in a culture that is all about doing.  Our lives are all about what it is that we do or must get done.  I intensely feel this doing aspect of life every single day, and I am very aware of it every time we gather for worship.  Quite honestly, the plethora of focal points that demand intense doing in people’s lives takes away from participation in the life of the Faith community.  Each focal point attempts to demand ultimate concern in people’s lives, and a life of faith no longer fits in that ultimate concern slot.  Furthermore, in a culture where more and more of us have our faces buried in our phones or tablets, simply being with, abiding with, intentionally remaining with and being present to someone is increasingly rare.  So, what does it mean for us to reply to Jesus’ question by desiring to come and simply be with him?

         It is intriguing that Jesus does not offer an answer to the disciples’ question.  Instead, drawing them ever more deeply into the experience of relationship, Jesus’ response is a simple invitation to “Come and see,” an invitation that is profoundly relational and experiential.  His invitation is non-threatening, simple and very clear.  Jesus’ invitational response is so beautiful because it is open ended and does not require any prior pre-judged concepts of Jesus. And, isn’t that the miracle of the Jesus journey?  Despite the countless layers of encrusted doctrine, dogma and varied identities that the church has put onto Jesus, as well as the requirements so many communities put on prospective followers before they even begin a faith journey, Jesus does not do this.  His invitation is simply to come and experience.  Come and see.  It is an invitation to unprejudiced, undetermined encounter and relationship.  It is an adventure where the disciple and the teacher live together in relationship.  It is an invitation to come and participate in this Jesus reality and it is the pathway to life, eternal life, which means life that truly matters.

         Living in relationship is what this faith journey with Jesus is all about.  When we respond to Jesus’ audacious invitation to come and see, we begin an experiential journey of continual discovery as we learn that this God of whom Jesus speaks is all about relationship and love.  We will discover more about our very selves, and we will grow in ways we never before thought possible.  We will discover true life that is always relational, life that is all about a flow of love and a dance of grace. 

Jesus' answer, "Come and see!" is an answer that captures a primary message of John's Gospel:  If you want to know the Word made flesh, come and see Jesus. If you want to know what love is like, come and see Jesus. If you want to experience God's glory, to be filled with bread that never perishes, to quench your thirst with living water, to continually be born anew, to abide in love, come and see Jesus.  If you want to behold the light of the world, to enter into life everlasting and to experience life that truly matters, come and see Jesus.  If you want to know God, come and see Jesus!

On this weekend the greater church begins highlighting a week of Christian Unity, and we also remember Martin Luther King, Jr.  We remember the work he did, work which brought transformation to culture.  He was able to do that work because he answered Jesus’ call to come and see.  He was a person who abided in Christ’s love, abided in Christian community, and helped to live into Christian unity.  And, that abiding enabled and brought forth necessary change in culture.  It

happened because all kinds of people came together and experienced living in relationship as the body of Christ. 

I said at the beginning that I am an experiential learner and I deeply want to live a life that truly matters.  As I long for this in life, I cannot think of a better learning experience than responding to Jesus’ invitation to come and see and experience the joy of living in relationship with Him.  And, that is something that one richly experiences when you live in relationship to others in the Faith community, when you participate in the life of the Faith community, and when we live together as the Body of Christ in this place.  Andy Root, the professor who is coming to talk with us about youth leadership, when talking about living together in relationship as a community of Faith, writes:

“Relationships of persons encountering persons are the very way that we encounter Jesus Christ…..[We live together and go through life together], sharing in the humanity of each other as the very joyous journey of sharing in the life of God.”  Let’s be intentional about making this journey together.  Come and see, experience what the body of Christ has to offer.

This is a special musical performance of Rain Down by the Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos Michigan.

I want to confess something to you this morning.  I have a tattoo.  Yes, many years ago, when I was much younger, I got a tattoo on the inside of my ankle.  Now, there is something I know about people who have tattoos.  If you ask them for the story behind their tattoos, most people are very willing to share their story because it usually says something about their identity.  So, I will share my story.  Two things I absolutely love are butterflies and music.  I love the fact that butterflies symbolize new life and freedom.  I feel that my life has always been a process of living into the new life and freedom God has given me as a baptized child of God.  And, I also love music.  In fact, for me, music is a form of prayer because through music I can express the deepest longings of my heart, those things that cannot be expressed through words alone.  So, my tattoo is a butterfly surrounded my music notes.  It is so old that one can no longer recognize it as such but, nevertheless, that is what is on my ankle.

I share that story because on this day, I think it is important to remember that we each have an important story to share about our identity.  You see, there is a sense in which we each have our own tattoos, an identity given us in baptism.  As we remember and give thanks for our baptisms, we remember these words that were spoken over us, “You are marked with the cross of Christ in your lives – forever.” 

Think about that!  Wow!  What a story that is to tell! 

Today, our gospel reading gives us the story of Jesus’ baptism.  Now, quite honestly, John did not know what to do with the fact that Jesus came to him to be baptized.  And, from the time Jesus first presented himself for baptism by John until today, Christians have puzzled over why Jesus had to be baptized. At that time, the act of baptism was understood to be an act of repentance and the cleansing of one’s sins.  So, John does not understand why Jesus, whose sandals John is “not worthy to carry” should seek to be baptized. Instead, John declares to Jesus, “I need to be baptized by you.”  Why should the Son of God need to be baptized?

Theologian, Frederick Dale Bruner, says that he considers Jesus’ first miracle to have occurred at his baptism. The miracle is that Jesus was humble. The divine Son of God humbles himself by allowing John to baptize him. This act of humility is an act of obedience to God and an act of pure love as Jesus begins his ministry, an action through which he enters into solidarity with all of humankind and all of creation. Jesus did not need to be forgiven. However, for us, he goes down to the river of repentance with all the other sinners to be baptized. He enters into the depths of human life and is baptized.  And, Jesus’ baptism, his first adult act as recorded in Matthew’s gospel, gives us a clear indication of how he will act for his entire life. The Son of God, out of love for human beings and all of creation, comes down to us and with us, on our level, identifying with our needs and our brokenness. His baptism, then, foreshadows how his life will also end, on the cross. In his death, Jesus experiences the worst we could ever experience as mortal humans. But, because Jesus united with us in baptism, we are united with him in both his death and resurrection. Through his humility, Jesus comes down to us in the depths of our humanity and shows us that we are beloved!  He shows us that God loves us!

Yes, there definitely is a story to tell about baptism.  I love what Richard Rohr says when talking about this aspect of Jesus’ ministry.  He writes, “Jesus did not come to change the mind of God about humanity. Jesus came to change the mind of humanity about God.”  Just think about that.  “Jesus did not come to change the mind of God about humanity. Jesus came to change the mind of humanity about God.”

 Yes, Jesus came to proclaim that we are God’s beloved!  You see, it is all about what God in Christ has done for us!  Remember, when Jesus had been baptized and the Spirit of God descended upon him like a dove, a voice from heaven said, “This is my son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”  That word “beloved” is such a beautiful word.  To be beloved is to be adored.  To be beloved is to be cherished and to be treasured.  And, this is also the promise given to us in our baptism.  You see, baptism is first and foremost an act of God.  It is about God claiming us as God’s very own, as God’s beloved children.  It is all about God declaring to us that we belong to God.  And, because we belong to God, baptism is about God telling us that God is well pleased with us!

Now, I don’t know about you, but I think that is a story each one of us should be proclaiming from the mountaintops.  It is a story about our identity!  We no longer need to work so hard to justify ourselves or our existence because we have been given this priceless identity.  We are beloved by God and God is pleased with us!  I am beloved by God and God is pleased with me!  And, it is all because of what God has done!

Yet, that is not always the story we tell ourselves.  Quite honestly, many of us have another story that runs in our head. Sometimes we call this storyteller the inner critic, that one who reminds us just what a failure we are or how people may only be pretending to like us.  You know, if they really knew the truth about us, they would run away. That inner critic sometimes tells us we are not attractive enough or talented enough or clever enough or intelligent enough to be beloved, let alone have someone be pleased with us.  I know this because I have experienced that inner critic far too often.  And so, in our brokenness, we desperately do all kinds of things as we attempt to justify our existence, just so we can measure up! 

That’s why we need to tell this baptism story over and over again – to counter the story of the inner critic, and to counter the story the world often tells.  You know what that story is, the one that says to be truly beloved you have to possess something: money, house, good looks, power.  Yes, we tell our baptismal story over and over to counter the story, or stories, that you don't measure up or that you don't belong.  Yes, we need to remember our true identity, remember how deeply we are loved, and we need to hear that story told to us over and over again and celebrate this precious gift! 

But, friends, there is yet more to celebrate about this gift of baptism!  The story of baptism is not only that we belong to God and are beloved by God; it is a story that we belong to each other, that we are a part of a community, that we are part of a larger story of God's presence in the world.  You see, we, who sometimes feel rejected because we just don’t measure up, are chosen to be a part of something big and beautiful.  Just as God had chosen us in our baptism, God has also made us members of God’s family!  We are part of God’s kingdom.  So, it is important that we come together in worship, not only because we need to hear over and over again that God loves us and has claimed us as beloved children, cherished and treasured.  We also need to come together in worship because our wells sometimes have run dry and we need to feel those refreshing waters of baptism trickling over us again.  Quite honestly, sometimes life is just so hard we have no words to pray or no songs to sing; we are just that empty. Sometimes it's the community of the baptized that sings those hymns we can't always sing, and sometimes it's the community that prays the prayers we can't always pray, and sometimes it's the community that speaks the words of faith that we might have trouble speaking ourselves or even believing ourselves.  And, we just deeply need to let those words and songs and prayers wash over us, reminding us of God's love, reminding us that in the waters of baptism, God has called us and claimed us as God's own, beloved, delightful and cherished children! 

Jesus entered that baptismal river to become one with humanity and to tell us we are beloved.  That is the story of baptism and the story of our baptisms. That is the mark we carry, and it is our identity.  That's a story worth living in.  And, that is a story worth telling, over and over and over again!  Thanks be to God.

Today, is not only the first Sunday of the new year and the first Sunday of a new decade.  Today is also the twelfth day of Christmas, and it is NOT about twelve drummers drumming!  No, today is all about newness!   And, as we enter a new year and a new decade with all that is going on in this world, including yet more war that seems to be looming on the horizon, we deeply need to hear the message of John’s gospel.  On this day, we need to hear John’s telling of the Jesus story because, in this gospel, we find a daring, audacious, bold message that tells of a whole new beginning for humankind, a whole new beginning for the world.

The writer of John’s gospel is a big picture person.  The gospel writer begins presenting the Jesus story in a very lofty, grand manner.  And, in doing so, he is so gutsy in his telling of this new beginning through the person of Jesus that his first words to us are “In the beginning….”  If we have any understanding of Biblical literature, we will recognize that these three words are also the beginning words in the book of Genesis.  You will remember that in that first book of the Hebrew Bible we read, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”  John’s use of these three words is very intentional.  John wants his readers to know that in Jesus, we live into the beginning of a whole new creation.  The writer of John’s gospel is intentionally connecting us to the book of Genesis because, in the person of Jesus, he sees a new beginning of history, of humanity and of God’s involvement in all of creation.  In John’s telling of the Jesus story, he wants us to understand that, through the incarnate Word, Jesus the Christ, the Word made flesh, we will find a very living, breathing promise of new life.  Theologian, David Lose, suggests that “John’s story about Jesus is designed from beginning to end not just to tell us, but to evoke for us, the living, breathing promise of a new beginning to all of human history in and through the incarnate Word, Jesus the Christ. That’s why he patterns his opening after Genesis. That’s why John’s gospel records seven signs – [remember seven days as articulated in the first Genesis account of creation]?  John records seven signs or miracles in his Gospel and then culminates with the eighth sign of resurrection as the eighth day, the start of a new week, chapter, and epoch. That’s why – only in John’s Gospel – the resurrection happens in a garden, to remind us of the Garden of Eden so that we might see the resurrection as the new creation.”

Yes, John wants us to know that a new creation is what God is up to and that new creation is happening through the enfleshed, living Word, in the person of Jesus Christ.  By connecting the Jesus story to Genesis, John is stipulating nothing less than this:  God poured God’s own self into human form.  “This eternal Word was God’s proactive agent in the creation of all things – even life itself – and in a paradoxical condescension took form as a baby of the most humble of origins.” (Stephen Bauman – Feasting on the Word, Year C, Volume 1) 

For all of us, as much as we want and deeply desire to see God, we cannot literally do so.  And, our inability to literally see God seems much more apparent in times of great need, in times when the darkness of life seems to overwhelm life itself.  That darkness might come to us personally through experiences of illness, death, job loss, depression, loneliness, tragedy, and even war.  At times like these, we are keenly aware that we are simply unable to literally see God.  As our communities and the world experience horror through terrorist actions, violence in our city streets, racial injustice and the many forms of hatred espoused upon others, we collectively experience darkness and are keenly aware of our limitations when it comes to seeing God.  So, because of our limitations, God – the eternal, universal Christ who brought all of creation into being – becomes human in the person of Jesus.  God becomes human that we may see God.  In the person of Jesus, God becomes accessible to us.  In Jesus, the eternal God becomes finite and vulnerable, all for our sake so that we may see the very heart of God.  No longer is God a disembodied voice from some distant place.  The incarnation enables us to see that not only is Jesus like God, God is like Jesus, and has always been.  God loves us so deeply that God is lovingly and graciously present to us even in the darkest places and times of life.  And, all of the darkness that ever existed, that is present now, or that will exist in the future is unable to overcome the light of the universal Christ, the eternal Word, the Word made flesh, the very life force that continually animates and breathes into the entire created order – even into you and me. 

Oh yes, John wants us to fully understand that, in the person of Jesus, God is doing something very, very new.  In days of old, God gave the law and the prophets to speak for God, to express God’s will.  But through Jesus, God goes even a step further.  God is actually speaking to us directly and personally in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.  God is not separate from our fleshly existence.  No, God is profoundly and intimately present to us.  We, each one of us, deeply matter to God and Jesus is God’s love letter to humanity, God’s love letter given in flesh and blood for the whole world, as God in Christ shares in our human experience.  God is as close to us as our next breath, bearing the pain we bear, enfleshed in our struggles, working with us for justice and peace, and celebrating in the joys we share.

And there is more.  The coming of the Word made flesh has enabled those who follow Jesus to embody God’s word as well.  Jesus is not alone in this word made flesh business.  The creative, living Word is still at work in and through us.  Because of God’s decision to come to us in a form we recognize, in Jesus the Christ, we are empowered to reach out to those around us.  In fact, God is at work putting skin on God’s Word through us.  By the grace of God and, through baptism and the work of the Spirit, we are called to bear God’s creative and redeeming Word in this world and carry God’s Word of life and love to others through all that we do and the way in which we live.  In the person of Jesus, God has invaded this broken, hurting, warring world and God is working through God’s people, shining the light of God’s presence even in the darkest places of this world.  The living Word, the God of love, the Word made flesh has moved into the neighborhood, and that is what we are called to live.

So, on this first Sunday of the new year and on this twelfth day of Christmas, we celebrate the universal Christ, the living Word of love that has taken on flesh and moved into the neighborhood so that we can be made new.  Theologian, Thomas Troeger, has written a poem about that Word and how it changes us.  He writes:

How do you spell the word?

Where do you search and look –

amidst the coos and cries you’ve heard

or in a well-thumbed book?

Hold back the swift reply,

the pious, worn cliché

that softens how the child will die

when violence has its way.

Instead, let all you do

embody truth and grace,

and you will spell the word anew

in every time and place.

(Feasting on the Word, p. 193)

         It is my prayer that, as we enter a new year and a new decade, we continually spell that living Word of love anew in all the times and places of our lives – wherever life takes us!

This is a special musical performance of When the Angels' Song is Silent by the Chancel Choir from Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

If you missed the Christmas Eve service at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos Michigan you can listen in to the amazing music and celebrate in the service celebrating Christmas! 

American journalist and writer, P. J. O’Rourke, once said, “Family love is messy, clinging, and of an annoying and repetitive pattern, like bad wallpaper.”  I agree with him - family love is very messy, and the messiness too often becomes systemic, passed down through generations.  Quite honestly, life is very messy.  And, the Bible is brutally honest about this messiness as it contains stories of all kinds of people in the depth of messiness and dysfunction.  One of the beautiful aspects of scripture is that it speaks the truth about our very lives, the truth about the messiness that creates all sorts of systemic problems within families and communities, the messiness that prevents us from living in relationship with others, the messiness everyone experiences in some form.  And, it is so fascinating that, when looking at the messiness in our own lives, our reaction to it, or our inability to thoughtfully respond in a healthy manner, is usually rooted in some aspect of fear.

In today’s gospel reading, we meet up with Joseph as we hear Matthew’s version of Jesus’ birth.  While the gospel of Luke focuses on Mary, Matthew focuses on Joseph.  And guess what?  Joseph faces a very messy situation!  Matthew does not give us the sweet, saccharine, syrupy, heart-warming stories of angels and shepherds and a baby born in a cattle stall.  No.  Matthew focuses on Joseph and the heart-wrenching struggle he was facing.  The woman to whom he is engaged, the woman to whom he is contractually espoused, is pregnant.  Mary and Joseph have not yet moved in with each other, they have not yet had sex, and Joseph experiences extreme heartache as he faces a very messy problem.  Mary is pregnant and this could only mean one thing, she has been unfaithful.  Can you imagine the emotions Joseph must have had when he heard this news?   Anger, shock, hurt, disappointment, betrayal, fear and a need to distance himself from the mess.

Yet, as Matthew describes Joseph and the situation in which he finds himself, Matthew calls Joseph “righteous.”   Now, to be righteous, according to Torah, one must strictly follow the law.  Therefore, as a good law-abiding Jew, Joseph could have had Mary stoned to death.  After all, stoning was the punishment commanded in the twenty-first chapter of Deuteronomy for engaged women who slept with other men.  But, Matthew also tells us Joseph was a man of compassion.  So, instead of stoning, Joseph decided he would quietly dismiss Mary as his wife.  A quiet dismissal would hopefully minimize the public disgrace she would have to face.  It is fascinating that, in the depth of his fear and the messiness, what never occurred to Joseph was that there is yet another way to be righteous - the way of acceptance and forgiveness and grace. Joseph, all on his own, couldn't possibly imagine how God could be present in so difficult, so utterly messy, so heartbreaking, so embarrassing and so dangerous a situation as Mary's pregnancy.  Therefore, God had to help him.  

Joseph was afraid.  He was afraid to take Mary as his wife.  The gospel writer tells us that, in the deep darkness of sleep, God came to Joseph in a dream.  An angel of the Lord spoke to him saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.  She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”  God brought truth, grace, forgiveness and love into the irrational depths and quandary of Joseph's mind, heart and being.  In ways deeper and more magnificent than the mind can imagine, God changed Joseph.  And because God changed Joseph, Joseph became a channel of God's grace in the world.

In the depth of the messiness of life, in the mire and sludge of the unexpected and unexplainable, in that which Joseph perceived as betrayal, in the overwhelming darkness of an experience that created fear – yes, in that place, Joseph finds God present to him.  God penetrated the darkness and fear within Joseph, and that experience of God led Joseph to take Mary as his wife and name the child “Jesus” which means “God saves.”

Now, Matthew was writing to a Jewish Christian audience, people who intimately knew Jewish scripture.  So, the gospel writer connects Joseph’s experience to the words of the prophet Isaiah saying,

“Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and they shall name him Immanuel.”   (Immanuel is the Hebrew word for “God with us”). 

The truth about the Isaiah passage we read earlier today is that when Isaiah spoke these words to King Ahaz, the king was not very hopeful.  When invited by the prophet Isaiah to “ask a sign” of God, Ahaz was not interested.  In fact, Ahaz said, “I will not ask.”  You see, Ahaz was living in fear and he was sure he would be defeated at the hand of the conquering Assyrians.  However, Isaiah – good prophet that he was – was persistent.  He pointed to the perennial sign of hope and new life for all people in any time saying, “a young woman will conceive and bear a son.”  The truth about Isaiah’s words to Ahaz is that the baby of which he was speaking was already in utero.  We are not told who the mother of that baby was.  But, because a newborn child is always the promise of hope, even in hard times, Isaiah names the child as a sign of God’s presence:  Immanuel God with us. 

Immanuel, God with us!  These are powerful words packed full of meaning and, centuries after Isaiah, Matthew connects these words to Jesus’ birth. These words gave Jesus identity and, as theologian Daniel Patte suggests, they do not simply describe Jesus.  No, these words “Immanuel, God with us” were part of Jesus’ very vocation.  Jesus’ calling was and is to manifest and make known God’s presence in people’s lives and save people from their sins. Jesus’ calling then and now, is to manifest and make know God’s presence to us in the depth of our fear and the messiness of our lives.

Joseph discovered that the presence of God in the depth of the messiness of life drives out fear.  God’s presence moved him beyond fear.  Joseph also discovered that the experience of God’s presence brings forgiveness.  And, he discovered God’s presence brings change – change within self, change within the mess, and change to the world as he perceived it to be.

We live in a world that is notorious for crushing hope.  We live in a world that is notorious for turning love into a stingy commodity as if there is not enough to go around.  We live in a world where we participate in creating systemic messes - messes in our lives, messes in our families, messes in our communities, monumental messes in our country and colossal messes in the world.  So, I ask you, what are the messes in which you live?  Listen to the voice of God’s presence in your life, the voice that will penetrate the darkness of any situation, the voice that always says, “Do not be afraid.”   Listen to the voice that says, “You are loved, and your sins are forgiven.”

Christmas is all about God’s presence to us, Immanuel God with us. Christmas is all about incarnation.  Christmas is about the love and grace of God that is on the way, the love that is in fact already here!!  Christmas is all about God putting skin on God’s dream for the world – about God’s dream becoming flesh in this very broken, messy world.  Christmas is God’s invitation to each one of us to experience within ourselves the love that forgives sin and the love that comes to bring healing to the world.  And, it is only the presence of Immanuel, God with us, that transforms the systemic, predictable, messy patterns of living and enables us to live into the dream of God where all things are made new.  Yes, love is on the way and the Child will be born again in us, in the depth of our neediness, in the depth of our messiness, in our hurting and pain, and in our deep longing for God.  Do not be afraid because the hopes and fears of all the years are met in this One, Immanuel, God with us – this One who is on the way!

This is a special musical product of People, Look East by the Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

This is a special musical presentation of He is Born by the Faith Bells at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

This is a special musical presentation of The Friendly Beasts with soloists Ryan Thompson, Diane Hill, Bob Nelson and Emily Brown at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.